Gas regulator and gut-off



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JOHN P. REINEOKE, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

6A3 REGULATOR AND CUT-OFF.

SPECIFEICATIUN forming part of Letters Patent No. 331,544, dated December 1, 1885.

Application filed May 5, 1 985. SerialNo.1G4.4fi6. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoI-LN P. Rnrnnonn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and 5 State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas Regulators and Gut-Otis; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which will enable skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is a vertical sectional View through the axle of myimproved gas regulator and cutoff valve. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line 00 w, Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3 y, Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

My invention has relation to pressure-regulators for gas or similar fluids; and it consists in the improved construction and combination of parts of such a regulator, having means for automatically cutting off the outlet when the supply is stopped,so as to prevent the gas from passing through the regulator until this cutoff has again been opened, when the supply is opened avoiding any possible waste of gas through cocks or valves left accidentally open at the other side of the outlet, as will be more fully described and claimed in the following:

In buildings and places where gas or similar fluids are used it often happens that branch cocks are left open after the general supply has been cut oft, and when the supply is again opened accidents may happen as well as waste take place by the escaping gas, and for the purpose of avoiding this I construct a cut-off valve in the regulator, which will automatically cut off the supply to the branches or outlet of the regulator when the supply to the regulator is cut off, and which will not be opened by the pressure of the gas when the latter is let into the regulator again, but must be opened by hand, so that if the supply to the regulator by accident is opened the gas cannot escape in the building until the cut-01f has been opened, and the person in charge of the same will he satisfied thatno cocks in the building are open which are not to be opened.

To this end I construct a cylindrical casing,

A, having a cylindrical wall, B, projecting from its bottom, forming an annular space,.

which contains mercury when the regulator is'in use. A cylindrical cover or top, D, is placed upon the open top of the casing, anda cylindricalinverted cup or bell, C fits with its sides in the annular space, sliding freely in the same. The top of this bell is provided with a perforation, E, through which the threaded end F of an upwardly-projecting shank, G,projecting from a yoke, H, passes, and the lower female threaded end, I, of a rod, J, fits upon this threaded end, while the upper portion of the rod slides freely in a bearing, K, formed in a cross-piece, L, secured in a sleeve, M, projecting through a central aperture, N, in the top of the cover D, the rod J serving as a guide for the inverted bell. Two pairs of longer toggle-arms, OP OP, are pivoted to the ends of the yoke H, with the upper ends of the upper arms, and the lower ends ofthe lower arms, P, are pivoted tolugs Q, projecting upward from the bottom of the casing A at a central inlet-aperture, It, in the same. Two pairs of shorter toggle-arms, ST ST,are pivoted with thelower ends of thelower arms to the said lugs, and with the upper ends of the upper arms to a yoke, T, at the upper end of a valve-stem, U, and arms VV are pivoted at their inner ends to the joints between the shorter toggle-arms, and at their outer ends to the joints between the longer togglearms. A valve-seat, W, is formed around the under side of the edge of the central perforation, R, and an upwardly-projecting annular sharp rim, X, of a valve, Y, secured upon the valvestem U, fits against this seat, which is preferably provided with a soft packing, Z. A T- joint, A, is secured to the central aperture, R, and forms a casing for the valve, and the lower branch, B, of the T-joint is closed by a cap, 0, which has a central recess or thimble, D, into which the lower end of the valvestem plays. The upper end of the chamber formed within branch 13 is closed by a flexible diaphragm, E, the edges of which are secured by the upper edges of the cap 0, and the Valvestem passes through the center of this diaphragm, and is secured to the same by means of collars F, which clamp it. Thelower portion of the valve-stem is hollow, and this bore G opens through the side of the stem above the valve Y and below the diaphragm, forming a communication between the interior of the casing A and the chamber B. The supply-pipe which conveys; the gas to the regulator opens into the central branch, H, of the T-joint A.

It will be seen that as the pressure of gas in the casing is increased as it is admitted through the supply-pipe and the central aperture, the bell will be raised, which will straighten out the longer toggle-arms, which will force the joints of the inner and shorter toggle-arms in ward, causing them to be straightened, which will raise the Val G and gradually close the same, whereupon, as the pressure is decreased by the gas passing out of the casing, the bell will descend, spreading the toggle-arms and lowering and opening the valve, the gas, which during the high pressure of the same in the casing has passed through the hollow stem into the lower chamber, B, serving to hold the valve against the valve-seat, and serving to cushion the descent of the valve.

The outletaperture 1, through which the gas passes out of the regulator-casing, is in the bottom of the same, and is surrounded upon the upper side of its edge with an upwardlyprojecting sharpened and annular rim, J, upon which plays a valve, K, having a stem, L, oassing through it and playing with its upper portion in a vertical bearing, M, in a bracket, N, projecting upward from the bottom of the casing. A spiral spring, 0, is wrapped around the upper portion of the valve-stem, and bears with its upper end against the bracket, and with its lower end against the upper side of the valve, the lower side of which is preferably provided with a soft packing, P, the said spring forcing the valve to bear against its seat.

The upper end of the valve-stem, above the bearing, is provided with a notch, Q, which may be engaged by a hook, R, projecting from a downwardly-projccting arm, S, of a bellcrank lever, T, which is pivoted in the upper end of a bracket, U, projecting from the bearing M, and the horizontal arm of which is held raised by means of a spring, V, which bears with its upper end against the horizontal arm, and with its lower end against the bracket N, the outer end of the said horizontal arm having an upwardly projecting lug, W, against which the top of the bell of the regulator may strike, tilting the bell-crank and disengaging the hook from the notch in the valve-stem, allowing the valve-stem and valve to descend, closing the valveaperture.

An elbow or T joint, X, is secured to the bottom of the regulator-casing at the outletaperture, having the outlet-pipe, which passes out into the building, entering its central branch, Y, and a tube, Z, is secured into the lower branch of the joint, and is provided at its lower end with a stuffing-box, A through which a rod, B may play, and with a cook, 0 above the stuffing-box, through the aperture of which the rod may pass. By pushing this rod upward, after having opened the cook, the lower enlarged end, D", of the valve-stem may be engaged by the said rod and the valvestem pushed up so as to cause the hook upon the be1l-crank to again engage the notch in the end of the valvestem.

The top of the bell is provided with a number of circular weights or poises, by means of which the pressure of the gas admitted to pass through the regulator may be adjusted, the said weights being removable.

It will thus be seen that when the pressure is entirely relieved in the casing by the supply being cut off the bell will descend sufficiently low to strike the lug upon the horizontal arm of the bell-crank and overcome the tension of the spring supporting the said arm, and the said horizontal arm, being tilted, will disengage the valve-stem, which will allow the valve to be forced by its spring against its seat, where it will remain,closing the valve-aperture until the valve is raised by the rod, thus preventing gas from passing through the regulator until the cut-off valve has been reset.

Having thus described myinvention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- 1. In a regulator for gas or similar fluids, having an inverted bell having its sides immersed in a mercury or similar fluid seal, and having a valve playing upward against a valve aperture in the bottom of the regulator-casing, the combination, with the said bell and the valve, of a set of longer toggle-arms pivoted to the bottom of the regulator-casing and to the top of the bell, aset of shorter toggle arms pivoted to the bottom of the regulator-casing and to the upper end of the valve-stem, and arms pivoted to the joints between the longer toggle-arms and to the joints between the shorter togglearms, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

2. In a regulator for gas or similar fluids, the combination of a casing having an annular mercury or similar fluid seal, and having an aperture at its bottom provided with a downwardly-facing valve-seat, an inverted bell having its sides immersed in the seal, a T-joint secured at the valve-seat and having its lower branch covered by a cap, a diaphragm of flexible material covering the upper end of the chamber formed in the said lower branch of the T-joint, and a valve playing against the valve-seat, having a stem extending upward and connected to the bell by means of togglearms, and a downwardly-extended stem secured to the diaphragm and formed with a longitudinal bore opening through the side of the stem above the valve and below the diaphragm, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

3. In a regulator for gas or similar fluids, provided with an inverted bell having its sides immersed in a fluid seal and having an upwardly closing valve at its bottom, th combination, with the said bell and the valve having an upwardly-projecting stem forme ILO with a yoke at its upper end, of a yoke having an upwardly-projecting shank secured in the top of the bell, two pairs of toggle-arms pivoted to the ends of the yoke with the upper ends of the upper pair of arms and to the bottom of the regulator-casing with the lower ends of the lower arms, two pairs of shorter toggle arms pivoted with the lower ends of the lower arms to the bottom of the regulatorcasing and with the upper ends of the upper arms to the yoke upon the end of the valvestem, and two arms pivoted with their outer ends to the joints between the longer togglearms and with their inner ends to the joints between the shorter toggle-arms, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

4. A cut-off attachment for regulators for gas or similar fluids, having a bell descend ing by the decrease of the pressure in the regulator, consisting of a valve having a spring forcing it down upon the outlet-aperture, and an upwardly-projecting stem formed with a notch, and a hook engaging the said notch, and having an arm or trigger which will tilt the hook when depressed by the descending bell, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

5. A cut-off attachment for regulators for gas or similar fluids, having a bell descending by the decrease of the pressurein the regulator, consisting of a valve having a spring forcing it down upon the outlet'aperture, and having an upwardly-proj ecting stem provided with a notch, a bell-crank lever provided with a hook for engaging the notch upon its downwardly-projecting arm, and having a horizontal arm provided with an upwardly-projecting lug for the bell to bear against when descending, and a spring bearing against the under side of the horizontal arm of the bellcrank lever, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

6. In a cutoff attachment for regulators for gas or similar fluids, the combination of a bell descending by the decrease of the pressure of the gas, a valve having a spring forcing it down upon the out1et-aperture, and having an upwardly-projecting stem provided with a notch, a bell-crank lever having a hook upon its downwardly-projecting arm for engaging the notch, and having a horizontal arm provided with an upwardly-projecting lug for the bell to bear against, a spring forcing the horizontal arm upward, a casing secured around the outlet-aperture and having a stuff ing-box diametrically opposite to the under side of the valve, and a rod sliding in the said stuffingbox for forcing the valve upward, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

7 In a cut-off attachment for regulators for gas or similar fluids, the combination of a bell descending upon the decrease of the pressure of the gas, a valve having an upwardiyprojecting stem provided with a notch, having a downwardly-projecting stem formed with an enlargement, and having a spring for forcing it down upon the outlet-aperture, a bell-crank lever having a hook upon its downwardlyprojecting arm for engaging the hook, and having an upwardly-projecting lug upon its horizontal arm, a spring bearing against the under side ofthe said horizontal arm, a casing or T-joint secured around the outlet-aperture, having a cock in the branch opposite to the lower stem of the valve and formed with a stuffing-box below the cock, and a rod sliding in the said stuffing-box and through the bore of the barrel of the cock for raising the valve, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN P. REINEGKE. Vitnesses:

Gnas. E. WEsT, H. F. BOYLES. 

